NFL Draft 2012: Penn State University Guard Johnnie Troutman

Johnnie Troutman is a big mauling guard out of Penn State University.  At his recent pro day at Penn State, he measured in at 6’4-1/4” and 329 pounds.  Troutman is a massive offensive lineman who can finish blocks with the best of them.  He is known for his run-blocking but he thinks there is more.

I talked to him after his pro day, and we talked about his time in college, what it was like to play Penn State last year and his future in the NFL.  I asked him what his favorite moment was from playing at Penn State.

He said it was the 400th win in the program’s history, which was a win against Northwestern in his junior season.  He told me that the team was down big and “everybody believing and just fighting and coming back to win it will be part of history.”

We talked about the craziness that went on at Penn State last year.  He told me “it was extremely difficult” and “that's one situation that I felt like nobody could ever prepare you for but I feel like we did well with the cards that we were dealt.”

I asked if there was a lesson he took from that, something he learned that he could take with him.  He said “that's the sort of thing you can't control but you just have to keep fighting to not let those outside forces that don't involve you upset what are trying to do.”

We talked about Coach Paterno and what kind of man he was.  I asked what it was like to play for Coach Paterno and he told me “he was a real nice guy and he pushed hard and he expected great things out of everybody.”

“He was real strict with the classes and he pushed the books real hard because he knew that football was not everything.”  He mentioned that through Paterno he understood that not everyone was going pro and that the real opportunity for them was to get a degree from Penn State University.  “I thank Coach Paterno for that.”

I asked him what it was like to play in the Big Ten with all the history and the physical nature that it is known for.  He said he felt like the Big Ten was one of the better conferences to play in.  He said it was very physical and “it's not one of those conferences that tries to trick you with different plays, it is just line up and play power football and run the ball at you.”

Troutman is known as a mauler in the run game.  He told me it was his strength.  I asked if there was something special that he felt when he played power football.  He told me that in pass protection you know you you are just going to stand there and take the hit, and that's the thing he appreciated about running the ball.  He likes to be the guy initiating the contact and setting the tone.

I asked if he had more fun playing on the offensive line when his team was ahead and they were just grinding out the clock.  He said that beating the defense early made their job easier later.  “It's definitely fun for me when we run the ball.”

I asked him what he can offer to an NFL team.  “Somebody that will play hard and is reliable.”  He takes pride in the amount of effort he puts forth in every game.  “I feel like I'm a good offensive player at the point of attack.” 

He told me that he was good in run blocking but also did well in pass protection.  He told me he felt like he didn't get recognized or as much credit as he deserved for his pass protection.  “I do well in those aspects of the game.”

I asked him for a message for the fans of the team that drafts him.  He told me to expect to get “a hard worker and someone reliable, someone that can do everything in his power to help the team get better and win games.”

Johnnie Troutman is a massive man and a player who will do well because of the combination of his size and athleticism.  He is big and athletic enough that he can pull from the guard position and make plays in space.  He has a great attitude, is a hard worker and will be valuable for a team in the NFL.

Scott Bischoff is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials.